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Empire of Common Cause
The Empire of Common Cause is an organization that spans the entirety of Aerb and consists of the large majority of the hex’s polities (a generic catchall term for nation or similar), created after the fall of the Second Empire. Worth the Candle largely takes place within its territories. Member Polities Member polities of the Empire of Common Cause are incredibly diverse, and include absolute monarchies, direct democracies, feudalism, communism, city-states, communes, vassal states, kraterocracies, gerontocracies, and in one case, a capracracy (rule by goat). It is often said that the Empire of Common Cause contains every possible type of government, but this is obviously untrue, and in fact, the majority of member polities are either constitutional monarchies or representative democracies. Likewise, member polities are of diverse species and cultures. Humans are the most populous and widespread species, due (in part) to their adaptability and fondness for new diets and climates. Just behind them are the dwarves, though dwarf-dominated cultures tend to be nearly invisible on the world stage, with most of them being underground city-states (dwarfholds) that only rarely communicate with the empire at large. Stepping down from those two, the long tail of populations begins, including all of the mortal species, though not every species has a polity where they’re dominant. Notably, the Animalia by their nature have very few populations of more than a few hundred people whether mixed or pure, and there are a number of so-called ‘slave species’ who remain in minority positions even following the abolishment of slavery. Major polities include the following: *Kingdom of Anglecynn *Kingdom of Francorum (home of the Risen Lands) *Kingdom of Mosenol (home of the Boundless Pit) *Monarchical Democracy of Esplandian (home of Cranberry Bay) *Lensen (a city-state) *Kingdom of Parrungal (known for currently hosting Lensen) Unconfirmed polities might include the following: *Cidium (a city-state within the continent of Widders) *Drabian (a polity next to Esplandian's borders) *Kingdom of Palmain (wherein Uther slayed its king with the sword Soskanna) Imperial Organization The Empire of Common Cause consists of four essential components. The arbitration branch is effectively judicial in nature, existing to adjudicate disagreements between member polities, and later, to adjudicate disagreements between imperial citizens where no polity has express authority. The legislative branch has twin functions, the first being the creation of laws which will apply to all member polities, and the second being the creation of draft legislation intended to be spread among the member polities, but without the full weight of law. The executive branch exists to carry out explicitly defined legislation, typically on a time-limited basis. Finally, the independent-executive branch exists to carry out useful functions for the empire, but the various bodies within it are not generally beholden to the legislature, especially as their funding is rarely negotiated, or they exist as self-funding entities. The independent executive branch includes Imperial Affairs, Apportions (responsible for taxation, usually at the behest of the legislature or other agencies), the Office of Imperial Disaster Relief, the Transit Office (responsible for planes, trains, and teleportation), the Bureau of Information (responsible for collection of data, especially for use by the legislature), the Bureau of Standards (mostly dealing with trade), and Special Threats (which deals mostly with exclusions, though there has been some scope creep in recent years). Law The entirety of the legal landscape of the EoCC is considered impossible for any one person to know, and complex legal matters essentially require dozens if not hundreds of man-hours for groups of people to become temporary subject matter experts, often entad assisted. Nevertheless, it’s entirely possible to make some statements about the EoCC in broad terms: *Slavery is, by and large, illegal. Chattel slavery is illegal, but conscription and forced labor are not, and neither is bonded slavery, though these are illegal in the majority of member polities. Several of the mortal species are ‘slave species’, created or bred specifically for slavery, typically with compulsions or dispositions toward being slaves. In those cases, exceptions are sometimes made. Controversially, slavery is not considered casus belli against non-member polities, which means that any war against a non-member polity over the issue of slavery will typically be met with sanctions. *Many magics are restricted from being taught anywhere but their athenaeum, or an approved athenaeum satellite site. Publication of materials deemed sensitive are prohibited, and in some cases, not allowed to be sold or transferred to non-authorized personnel. Mages are, in most cases, licensed by their athenaeum. Violations of this law tend to be particularly harsh, including, in one particularly egregious case, the removal of all mages from the member polity by their athenaeums (on a voluntary basis through threat of revoked license), extensive sanctions, and eventually, removal of member status, shortly followed by war. *Most member polities of the EoCC respect freedom of travel for imperial citizens, though this is not a part of the common law, only the suggested framework. Most member polities will require a permit or endorsement for longer stays, with the law varying depending on the member polity. *The Bureau of Standards mandates many different aspects of imperial life, largely uncontested, ranging from allocation of radio frequencies, to bulk teleport procedures, to food handling. Additionally, there are many areas where the BoS offers certifications, which allow products to command a higher price, sometimes with the non-certified versions being forced out of the market. Of late, there has been a push for tighter standards to ensure accommodations for a wide variety of species, though the issue is contentious. *Most member polities have laws regarding treatment of those under forge frenzy, seizure of entads, and compensation for entad seizure, though these are far from universal. Most member polities consider entads to be personal property, owned, transferred, and operated like any other, with licensing or confiscation in place for those that are particularly dangerous. There are a few exceptions to this rule though, and a number of places within the empire where entads are exclusively or nearly exclusively the purview of the member government. *Member polities are directly taxed in several different ways, both through dues paid to the Empire, through taxes levied by independent agencies, and through agreements for use of labor, supplies, and other indirect financing. Member polities themselves have wildly different tax schemes, though taxation of travel and bulk teleport is highly regulated by the empire itself. *The Empire tightly controls research into areas deemed potentially capable of ‘causing’ an exclusion through the RDLLE Acts. Additionally, major exclusions are generally considered the territory of the empire, though not rising to the level of imperial polities. Depending on the severity of the exclusion, travel might be restricted or banned entirely. History The Empire of Common Cause formed at a glacial pace in comparison to its forerunners, being termed an “empire” three full decades after the initial cooperative agreements were in place, and a decade before the Articles of Empire which created the modern governmental structure were signed. The initial “core” of the Empire of Common Cause was seventeen member nations who entered into mutual trade, immigration, and defense agreements. The athenaeums were principled supporters of the early empire, in part because of remaining imperial sentiment there (the athenaeums having not been hit quite as hard by the purges and general violence that marked the second interimperium), and in part because of a need to be able to exert influence beyond their city-states. Another factor in the rise of the Empire of Common Cause was the falling birth rates around the hex, most of which was due to the policies that had been implemented by the Second Empire. Advances in technology had increased food production and multiplied the effects of labor, which helped lead to greatly increased urbanization as the agricultural labor force moved into the cities, sometimes in protest. Originally developed as a joint economic zone, the Empire of Common Cause expanded with every passing year, not just inducting new members, but instituting new laws and expanding its purview. In theory, every member polity flew its own flag and abided by its own laws, but the gradual creep of power and responsibility has allowed that principle to go to the wayside. Much ado is still made about sovereignty in the face of exercises of imperial power, but the risk of censure silences all but the most egregious offenses.